Then-rookie Trent McDuffie was a pivotal contributor to the 2022 Kansas City Chiefs defense, pairing with contributions from several other young defensive backs to lead the team to a second Super Bowl win in four years.
While McDuffie’s excellence continued into 2023 — leading to an All-Pro nod — the Chiefs’ secondary in the early going wasn’t quite playing up to the standard it had set in the 2022 postseason.
| Metric | 2022 W9-SB | 2023 W1-13 |
| Coverage Grade | 89.6 (2nd) | 63.2 (22nd) |
| Yards per Coverage Snap | 5.37 (2nd) | 5.43 (3rd) |
| Yards per Reception | 10.0 (2nd) | 10.1 (3rd) |
| Forced Incompletions | 40 (3rd) | 24 (T-31st) |
Kansas City’s coverage unit, despite not allowing many explosive gains, wasn’t making plays on the ball, and stud cornerback L’Jarius Sneed was leading all defensive players in penalties.
Injuries weren't much of a factor, either. McDuffie's missed time last year had caused the Chiefs problems in the secondary. This time around, the unit simply wasn't playing as well.
Seemingly out of nowhere, after a nationally televised loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Chiefs turned things around.
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